Hi, I have a 2013 R56 JCW that was delivered in November 2013 so the car is only 2 years and 2 months old. Yesterday, I got the yellow low battery charge warning light which seems a bit premature. Then I got to thinking that my daily commute to work for the past 9 months has been only 2 miles one way, and the car is barely used on off days. It's also cold in Oregon and my car doesn't get to completely warm-up by the time I reach work/home. The manual says that the battery may get low charge if used on short trips. I've never left the car in situations that would otherwise drain the battery this soon other than getting some warranty work done at the dealership. (I've had other cars that had the battery go dead after dealers did some work on them and left car in the "on" position too long). I'm guessing that the past 9 months of short commutes to work has slowly drained the battery. The manual says to take a long drive to charge the battery or use an external battery charger. I went ahead and drove it around for 80-100 miles cuz' I had time last night. Considering that I will not be changing my daily commute, how often should I do this to keep the battery in good shape and just how long of a drive is long enough to keep the battery charged? I have no experience with external battery chargers so if anyone has suggestions regarding that, I am open to ideas. Thanks in advance!

 

I've had the battery go bad on several newer cars while they were still under warranty; most recently the wife's 328i that was only 2 yrs old. You may simply have a bad battery. Alternatively, you might consider getting a "battery tender" and just plugging it in occasionally to keep the battery topped up or you could just use a full size battery charger occasionally. Driving 80-100 miles even with today's "cheap gas" wouldn't be my first choice to solve the problem.

 

+ battery tender if you drive it very little.

https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Sit...275__ES194849/

 

Same problem with my last BMW, the battery tender got plugged in after every drive and it solves the problem. Obviously need a garage or nearby outlet. Street parking would screw this idea up. Taking the long way home everyday might help.

 

Yes, 2 miles one way for trips is very short and can actually drain your battery resulting in needing to replace it sooner rather than later. You can test the battery to see what voltage output you're receiving. We have an assortment of battery tenders here that you should invest in so that you aren't having to replace your battery more frequently. They're simple to put on and remove for your commute each day. These are the maintainers we use for all of our in house cars as well. Zero issues and they work like a charm.

 

Thanks for all the replies and advice! The light came back on today since the first light up, and I have actually picked up a battery tender a week ago in case it happened again. I'll be hooking it up tonight. Is it connected the same way like if you are getting a jump start from another car? Positive to positive, negative to negative?

 

Yes, Did you get the alligator clips or the hard mount eyelets ?

 

Yes, depending on if you got the clamps or the ring terminal harness. Positive (+) battery terminal (red arrow) and negative (-) battery terminal (green arrow).



Here is an R53 with the ring terminal harnesses installed just so you get an idea of where it's connection notes are. Essentially, all you need to do is remove the two nuts on the battery terminals and add the ring terminals underneath. (view above R56 image for R56 terminal nuts).

 

Extend the wires out to a convenient spot, front grill or inside the cabin with a quick connect if not provided. Popping the hood each time makes it become a chore. My previous car worked through the lighter, which was a lot easier for nightly hook up.

 

Well it's been a little over 5 weeks since I charged the battery and the warning light came back on again tonight. I use the alligator clips and have been attaching positive to positive terminal, and attach the negative clip to the engine ring/lifting point on the left side of engine (I forget what it's called) as I read in the manual that it's the preferred ground for the car. Only took about 4 hours last time to get to 100%

 

Your battery tender routine is probably fine but unfortunately you may need to replace the battery due to cumulative damage that occurred during the 2+ years of sub-optimal charging.

 

if yours is still under warranty, try the dealer for warranty replacement. some got it covered under warranty.

 

They might warranty it, but if they see multiple low charge cycles ( in the computer ) they can deny it, happened to me. Try to get it replaced asap. They tender it in the future when not in use.